They Call Me Death
by MissScaryKitty
Summary: Godric was not always a pacifist, at one time he claimed to be Death himself. What happened to that Godric and who was he? A Gaul named Anaya unexpectedly finds out one night while hunting in the forest. Follow's Godric's story from beginning to end
1. Chapter 1

AN: I was thinking about Godric's character and how we don't get to see much of him when he was a younger vampire still living in the anchient world. Personally I thought he looked sexy as hell and couldn't resist writing this ha ha. But also I feel like there needed to be a bridge between who Godric was in the beginning and who he became at the end of his life.

Chapter 1:

Anaya had finally captured the stag that she had been stalking for days but she was far away from her village and nightfall was coming. It was not safe to travel in the dark so Anaya wrapped up her kill made a small fire that she could sit by until morning came. The higher the flames licked into the air, the safer she felt in its warm glow. Little did she know that although fire warded off many predatory beasts, it attracted the most dangerous of them all and it had been watching her for several hours now.

Godric stared down at the little Gaul woman from his perch in a nearby tree. His mouth and chest were still bloody from his previous kill of the evening; another hunter a few miles south from where he was currently. The coming of winter brought many hunters to his woods trying to bring back as much of the summer stag to their village as possible before the snow began to fall. Some were foolishly brave enough to stay the night.

He had been observing this huntress for some time, watching her take down her prey with a warrior's precision. She was a beautiful creature to watch and her wild scent was hypnotic. She had a feral look about her which he found very appealing. Her fair skin was smudged with dirt and her blonde hair hung straight and loose around her shoulders. Her breasts were bound down with a small leather harness leaving the rest of her body bare except for the knee-length leggings she wore.

He wondered which tribe she had come from and whether or not it was similar to his own. His people were Gauls as well. But all the villagers from his tribe were taken by the Romans decades ago, the men were killed and the women and children sold off as slaves, him being one of them. It had taken him many years after his enslavement to make it back to his homeland and once he returned he found that little had changed. This both comforted and upset him. Yet being what he was, a vampire, he had no place among his people anymore. He had become a bringer of death.

Pushing those thoughts from his mind, he returned his attentions back to the woman. Even though he had already fed, he still desired her and he did not want to deny himself the pleasure of having her. He descended the tree he was sitting in with his enhanced vampire speed and ran to hide behind a tree at the edge of the clearing where the woman had made her fire.

Anaya's head immediately snapped up upon hearing the snapping of a twig somewhere in the forest. Grabbing her bow, she backed away from the fire her eyes searching out the source of the noise. She saw nothing but all her hunter's senses were fully alert now and she listened for any hint of movement in the darkness.

Godric sped across the clearing, past the woman and into the cover of the forest once more. Anaya saw nothing but felt the wind rush beside her and another twig snap in the distance but this time it came from behind her. She quickly spun around in the direction of the noise hoping to get a glimpse of what was out there but finding none. Her heart beat quickened now and, to his delight, Godric could hear it. He then darted from tree to tree hoping to disorientate her.

Anaya could not tell what sort of creature it was that was out there but she had never seen a beast move so quickly before. It was like a ghost moving through the trees; it's shadow barely appearing in one place for a moment and then an entirely different place the next. She then began to think that this creature was not of this world. It was all around her, watching her, taunting her with its superior skills. She knew now that she was no longer the predator but the prey.

Anaya ducked behind a nearby tree trunk for coverage, readying her bow. Her heart pounded hard in her chest but she dared not take in a breath for fear that the creature might hear her. A silence fell over the forest then and Anaya peered out from behind the tree, her arrow stretched tightly in her bow. She was ready to fight but there was nothing to be seen but the crackling light of her fire and the shadows that it cast on the tree trunks.

Godric, perched in a tree a little ways off, watched the human as she turned around to look behind the tree she was pressed against. A wicked little smile spread across his face knowing that she had no idea where he was. He quickly leaped into the tree that she was taking shelter behind and Anaya heard him and quickly looked up into the branches, searching for him.

Too fast to be caught in her crosshairs, he pounced on her then, making her crumple to the ground under his weight. Godric held her to the ground by planting one hand firmly between her shoulder blades and the other on her head. Anaya screamed, panting fearfully beneath the creature, struggling to get free. However her efforts were in vain, the man-creature atop her was far stronger than her. A satisfied grin spread across Godric's face as he looked down at his prey.

"_I am Death, little one."_ He told her, speaking in her native tongue. The woman beneath him froze and he turned her over on her back so she would face him. _"What is your name?" _He asked.

"_Anaya," _She answered him. Seeing his fangs and bloodied mouth the woman was convinced that he was indeed Death. Her heart was pounding in her chest but the huntress remained strong. She studied the dark blue tattoos he had etched around his collar bone and arms. They were like the marks of her people but she said nothing as she continued to study the creature that called himself Death. His hair was dark, matted with blood, and fell into his illuminated grey eyes. Death appeared to be young and beautiful and yet, at the same time, old and fierce.

"_Are you afraid of me Anaya?" _He asked gazing down at her.

"_Yes," _she answered breathlessly. _"But I knew you'd come for me one day. No one can escape you."_

"_They try," _he said, a hint of a smile passed across his face. _"Will you?"_

"_No."_ She answered. He could tell that Anaya had not lied to him; she was giving herself over to him, resigned to the fact that one day Death would claim them. This was the attitude of a true warrior, he thought.

Godric sat down on her bare stomach then and leaned over her. He held himself up with one hand while he played with a lock of her hair with the other. Thick drops of blood dripped from his chin and down onto her pale chest. A feral smile spread across his face at the sight. Godric then sunk his lips down to hers and claimed them. Anaya stiffened at his strange touch as she tasted the blood on his cool lips as he sucked and licked hers.

As he pulled away from her now scarlet stained lips Godric looked into her eyes and saw that her pupils were dilated. Her flesh was also burning to the touch from her body's increased blood flow. Godric recognized all these things to be signs of arousal. He then realized that this little human had more than resigned herself to him, she wanted him. Godric was quite surprised by this. Yet knowing his people, he knew that the best and bravest of them embraced Death when it called.

Anaya then reached up with her dirt-stained hand and pushed a few damp locks of hair from Godric's face. He stayed perfectly still, looking down on her as she brushed her fingers along his smooth white cheek. She just wanted to feel him and touch this dark creature for herself. She was no longer scared but fascinated with him. Just gazing at him stirred something warm and desirous within her.

She then slowly pulled his face down to hers once more. When their lips met this time, both vampire and human responded with equal fervor. The kiss they shared grew more and more aggressive as they fought for dominance over the other. Anaya felt him pushing her harder into the ground and she bit his lip challenging the creature that called himself Death. Godric responded by pinning her wrists up by her head and burying his tongue in her mouth. Anaya moaned in arousal as she pulled lightly against the hold he had on her wrists.

Godric then reached around her and unlaced the leather harness that tied her breasts down. He slid the thick straps off of her shoulders and pulled the garment away from her chest. He drank in the sight of her perfect breasts and then greedily took one of them into his mouth as he kneaded the other with his hand. It had been a long time since he had lain with a woman and he was just now remembering how pleasurable it was.

Anaya moaned softly as Godric continued to suckle her breasts. She ran her fingers through his hair all the while thinking that he looked almost innocent down there. Just as this thought crossed her mind, Godric looked up into her eyes with a sensual smirk which wiped any semblance of innocence from his face. He pressed a fierce kiss to her lips then as his hands sought out the ties of her leggings. Pulling the laces open, Godric slid the garment down her hips and rid her of it. She was now lying completely naked before him, her body beautifully illuminated by the firelight.

Godric sat back on his heels then to admire her loveliness. His fingers lightly traced the swell of her breasts, then down the muscles of her flat stomach, and over the soft curves of her hips until they came to her center where he began to rub it in small circles. Anaya's insides turned to liquid fire then as she cried out in pleasure. Godric then slipped a finger inside of her, curling it to hit her in the right place. Anaya shivered at his touch, grabbing fistfuls of dirt and leaves from the forest floor to try and ease the tension that was building up inside of her. But seeing her writhe in pleasure only made Godric stroke her harder.

He pulled away after a while and then rid himself of his leggings freeing his large arousal from their tight confines. Their eyes met and Anaya held out her hand, beckoning him to come to her. Godric stroked her out-stretched arm, sensually kissing the underside her wrist as he settled himself between her legs. He watched her as he pressed his tip against her opening. Anaya's eyes fluttered closed in desire, her hands coming to rest on his sides. She wanted him so badly, as he wanted her but Godric paused for a moment. He knew what moves he could use to unleash torture or ecstasy upon his partner. Being so much stronger than she was, the choice was his. However, having inflicted pain on so many others, he felt like pleasuring her. Godric didn't dare say that she was different from the rest but there was something about her that made him feel somewhat human.

Bending down over her, Godric claimed her lips in a fiercely passionate kiss and pushed himself inside of her. Anaya gasped sharply against his mouth at the size and feel of him and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist to cease him from any further movement. Once she felt herself adjust to him, she loosened her hold and Godric began to move within her. He was slow at first, drawing out each stroke, making Anaya moan beneath him but then his desire began to heighten and he quickened his pace. Godric grabbed onto her hips, pressing them into the ground, as he now thrust into her. Desire swept over him and he could not get enough of the human beneath him.

Roughly grabbing a fistful of her yellow hair and wrapping his arm around her shoulders, Godric pulled her up into his lap so that her chest was pressed against his. Anaya let out a cry of delight as he still continued to pound into her. She was thoroughly enjoying this creature's domination of her; the warrior inside of her telling her to fully give into Death. Godric then pressed his bloody, open mouth against her white cheek as he sighed heavily in ecstasy. Anaya gripped at the hand he had clamped on her shoulder as she held the side of his face in her other hand. She then felt him lower his head to her neck and she eagerly bent to the side to expose herself to him. In this moment she accepted that Death would now claim her.

"_Take me,"_ She panted breathlessly as she pressed his lips to her throat in offering.

Godric quickly wrapped his arms around her as a wave of heated passion hit him and then he bit down into her warm flesh. Her blood flowed into his mouth then with an urgency he had never felt before. Throwing her head back Anaya moaned out in pleasure, her orgasm crashing over her. She found that in the mist of dying, she never felt more alive. Her whole body shook as wave after wave of ecstasy hit her. What she experienced was pure rapture.

Spurred on by this woman's cries Godric came soon after her, his release was more satiating than any that he had felt in decades. He continued to drink from her as well as thrust within her; doing anything he could in order to prolong this unbelievable pleasure.

Once he regained his senses he felt her heart rate begin to slow and he had to make the decision whether or not he was going to drain her. After a moment's pause he released her neck from his mouth. Still cradling the woman in his arms he began kissing and licking the two puncture wounds he left in her throat until they stopped bleeding. Knowing how exhausted she must be, Godric gently guided her down to lie on the ground.

"_Breathe,"_ He told her as he stroked her lean, sweat-slick back. _"You have survived you're brush with Death, little one. But know that I will come back someday to claim you." _

Anaya nodded her head in understanding, accepting his generous terms. Godric stroked her back for a moment more until he soothed her labored pants into calm and even breaths. Then, as her eyes began to slip close, Godric placed a kiss on her shoulder and stood up from the ground and began to walk away. His footsteps were barely audible as he moved further into the darkness. Anaya knew that this quietness was how Death snuck up on people so easily.

Turning back to look on Anaya once more he saw that she was staring up at him in return. Curious blue eyes beheld unyielding grey; both were haunting in their own right. Godric flashed the woman a genuine smiled then, his fangs glinting in the firelight. His smile taught Anaya that Death had somewhat of a fondness for life. The immortal then turned and disappeared into the black forest leaving Anaya alone, staring at the spot where he last stood.

**AN:** Hey, I intended for this piece to be a oneshot, let me know what you thought of it and if you'd maybe like to read more. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Something in the Woods**

It had been eight months since Anaya's encounter with the creature that called himself Death and she still could not keep her mind off of him. She'd think of him at least once every day and then dream of him at night, envisioning herself in his passionate hold or gazing into his luminous grey eyes. A feral desire would sometimes come over her and make her want to go out into the woods searching for him, hoping that he would pounce on her and claim her once more. It felt like a part of him was inside of her, she sensed it in her blood.

Sometimes at night she would walk to the edge of the village and look out into the forest, looking for him. But he would never appear to her. She told no one of what had happened that night, not even her sister, Gallia, whom she always confided in. None of her family asked her why she would sometimes wander into the woods at night or smile whenever she would touch her neck. Thankfully they were far too busy with her sister's up and coming marriage ceremony to notice small changes like that. Besides, Anaya did not want to worry them with her tales of strange creatures in the forest.

Also Death, which was what she had come to call him, was not the only thing pressing on Anaya's mind; her sister was getting married to Owen, their tribe leader's nephew and her family was hosting the ceremony. It was a great honor for her family and for her sister to be married into such prestige. Yet, pleased as she was to hear of the good match, Anaya was concerned whether or not her sister harbored any real affection for Owen. She knew that Gallia found him amiable and they were friends, but she had yet to see further proof that their relationship was anything more than just that. She didn't want to see her sister unhappy just because she felt that the marriage was a good match. Anaya had asked Gallia about it once in private and she had insisted that she loved him but for some reason Anaya couldn't bring herself to believe her. Perhaps it was because Anaya felt that their relationship lacked the passion that she thought was necessary for true love.

Yet as time and their engagement carried on, Anaya began seeing the connection that Gallia and Owen had. It was subtle and polite but their affections ran deep. And even though it lacked the raw passion Anaya thought should be there, the longer she watched them together the happier she was for her sister because she saw that she was indeed truly happy. Then one day Anaya found that she had no more worries left in her mind about the marriage.

...

Finally the day of the much talked about wedding had arrived. Even though Anaya awoke with visions of Death in her mind they were quickly replaced by thoughts of what she had to do to help prepare for the ceremony. Rising from her fur covered sleeping mat, Anaya stretched her tired body out. She felt starved and thin as a thread as a result.

She exited her thatched house with a fur wrapped tightly around her slender shoulders and went to the large woodpile in the back to gather some kindling for the morning fire. It was still very early out and the sun had not yet risen. There was a cold, wet chill on the air and the ground was still damp from the evening rain. Anaya took in a long breath, smelling the fresh morning as she began to collect an armful of tree branches and kindling from the large pile.

Her family's house was built on the edge of the village facing the woods. She and her father were tasked with guarding the village from that front of the woods; watching for intruders. Her father was a much respected warrior and a very skilled hunter so he accepted the task with great pride but at times their somewhat isolated situation was lonely. Yet with her sister's marriage her family might be given a home located more centrally in the village. Anaya wasn't so sure what she thought of the idea just yet, she liked her privacy and her routine, but she supposed she could warm to it if she had to.

Also her father would have to go out into the woods to serve on watch with a couple of the other men for days at a time. Anaya would always insist that she go with him but he would refuse her, telling her that she had to stay put in order to guard their home and family. Still she'd secretly follow him into the woods and keep watch over him for the night, making sure he was safe, before returning home. Her father had taught her everything he knew about hunting and fighting and Anaya was a very skilled student who took every lesson to heart and to memory. She used all of her skills to evade detection when following her father on watch.

Suddenly the snap of a twig in the distance cut through the peaceful silence of the morning and Anaya quickly turned around to see what it was. Her heart rate quickened and her thoughts immediately turned to Death. Taking a few steps closer to the tree line, Anaya stared into the forest for a long while waiting for her eyes to fully adjust to the darkness but once they did she saw nothing. Then another snapping sound filled the air, this time it was much closer, perhaps only twenty yards away from where she stood.

Not taking her eyes off of the forest, Anaya slowly set her bundle of kindling down in the dirt and began walking into the woods. She held her breath as she stepped pass the edge of the clearing and went in among the trees. Anaya knew she was not alone; she could feel it inside of her and sense it in the air around her. Something was out there watching her. And every step she took drew her closer to whatever it was.

"_Anaya?" _A voice called from behind her. It was meek and tired, but it still caused Anaya's heart to jump in her throat and jump around in surprise. She found Gallia's rosy-cheeked face peeking out at her through the small window hole at the back of the house.

"_Gallia, by the gods, you scared me,"_ Anaya said quickly, somewhat agitated as she walked back over to the bundle of wood. Gathering it up from the ground she glanced back into the forest but still saw nothing. Perhaps, contrary to her belief, she was mistaken in thinking something was out there.

"_Sorry sister, I couldn't sleep. I'm too excited about today,"_ Gallia explained apologetically, folding her arms on the windowsill. _"What were you doing in the woods?"_

"_Nothing," _Anaya said, dismissing her sister's question as she quickly headed to the front of the house._ "I thought I heard a noise is all." _She called behind her.

Anaya took one more look into the woods to make sure that she could really see nothing before going inside. It was completely silent now and there was no detectable movement among the trees. Turning to the front door for the house, Anaya entered with her bundle of wood. She knelt down by the small fire pit in their main living space and began arranging the sticks and kindling in it properly.

Gallia padded out of her and Anaya's bedroom and over to her sister. She looked over Anaya's shoulder and watched her as she lit the fire. Red embers slowly grew into small yellow flames as Anaya gently blew on the little mound of kindling.

"_You know, I've noticed you've been looking out into the woods quite a lot lately," _Gallia began conversationally. She rounded the fire pit and sat across from her sister then._ "What is it you do?"_

"_I Think." _Anaya answered with a shrug, wanting to quell any further questioning on the subject. Her eyes glanced up to Gallia's then to gage her reaction and she knew immediately by the expression on her face that her answer would not do.

"_Yes," _Gallia pushed,_ "but what do you think about, is it a man?" _She asked somewhat hopefully.

"_It's most certainly not a man," _Anaya scoffed, poking at the fire with a long stick. Her sister deflated somewhat then and Anaya had to laugh at her reaction. If only Gallia really knew what she was doing in the woods, she thought to herself with a private smile.

Gallia was always curious about other people's secrets and would continue to needle them until they told her what it was that they were trying to hide. Of course her tactics never worked on Anaya and besides she usually always told her everything anyways.

She was quite a silly girl sometimes but that came with a territory. Gallia was always more gentle than Anaya and more eager to please others as well. She was always too amicable and unguarded and Anaya felt it was her duty to protect her from anyone who would try and take advantage of 's sense of duty towards her sister came from the fact that she was the first born of three, her sister, Gallia being the second eldest and her brother, Caio the youngest. She needed to watch out for her family; they were too precious to her.

"_Alright," _Gallia sighed, _"then if it isn't a man then what is it?"_

"_Hunting," _Anaya replied with a smile.

"_Fine, keep your secrets," _Gallia said with an airy wave, lying down on the floor._ "If you won't tell me then I most likely do not want to know."_

Anaya smiled again, _"most likely." _

_..._

When the rest of Anaya's family rose, Anaya left the tending of the fire to her brother Caio and stepped outside for a moment. The sun had risen over the tops of the trees, it's bright rays veiled in the cool mists of the morning.

Turning to the woods Anaya sucked in a deep breath, drawing new clean air into her lungs, and ran into the forest. She leaped over the large roots of the trees and quickly pushed past the smaller branches and weeds that were in her way. She was spritely in her movements and purposeful in her speed. Anaya was certain that she had felt someone's presence in the woods that morning and quickly pursed her intuition.

She scanned the entire forest as she ran, even the trees, but found them empty. There were no detectable signs of another human's presence, yet she still carried on in the woods with dogged determination. This was after all her home and if there was a trespasser, she should know about it.

Anaya finally came to a halt when she reached the bank of the river which protected their village's southern border. The water was running dangerously fast and Anaya remembered all of the tales of caution her father had once told her and her sister about people drowning in the harsh currents. The river's pull was so strong supposedly the force of it would drag a man under the surface and swallow him. Without a bridge to cross the river, the intruder would not have been able to cross it. Perhaps with a boat but that would have taken at least half a dozen strong warriors to row it in order to fight the current.

Turning away from the shore, Anaya began to walk back to her home, her heart pounding from exertion. There was no one out there and if there was, they did not want to be found. Once she arrived back at the house she had to help her mother attend to the cooking for the banquette. No one had asked her where she had gone and Anaya thought that perhaps it was for the best. As far as she knew, the only predator out there in the woods was one that had made a pact with her and only her.

**AN:** Hey guys, thank you so much to all of you who reviewed. There would be no Chapter 2 without you all. Because of all your wonderful support and comments I've decided to continue this story. Please let me know what you think of this chapter. I'm grateful for every review that comes my way, they really help me and I take all of them into consideration when writing.

**Sneak Peek at Chapter 3:**

_Godric could smell the wild flowers that were woven into her hair. They were mixing with her beautiful scent and the smell was positively intoxicating to him. He could still taste the sweetness of her blood even after eight months of hunting and feeding on others. For some reason Godric still wanted so much more of her. _

_Her white skin was gleaming in the moonlight as her graceful body moved through the crowed of dancers. All he wanted to do was pull her to him and taste her lips, her breasts, and her blood again._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Wedding **

Anaya wiped the hot sweat from her brow as she left the large meat dish she was cooking on the fire pit. It would take several hours until it was fully done and Anaya had to attend to her sister in order to get her ready in time for the ceremony. Once the day had begun Anaya worked nonstop to make sure that everything would be ready in time. This was after all her sister's day and one that was very important for the family.

She fanned herself for a bit, trying to cool off from leaning over the fire for so long, but the air around her was warm and stagnant giving her no relief from the heat. Anaya let out a sigh and wiped her dirty hands on her leggings before heading into the other room. Her sister was sitting on a large fur with her legs folded beneath her. She looked so clean and beautiful sitting there. Small points of light shone in from the covered windows making her look like she was glowing.

Anaya stood in the doorway quietly as she watched Gallia. Her sister didn't sense her presence until she knocked lightly on the wall to grab her attention. Gallia turned around at the noise and smiled widely when she saw it was Anaya.

"_How are you?"_ Anaya asked, stepping into the room.

"_Wonderful," _Gallia sighed blissfully, putting her sister at ease. At least she was not nervous, Anaya thought. _"I cannot wait for the day to see you so happy sister,"_ Gallia said with a kind smile as she ran her fingers through her hair to get the tangles out of it.

"_I am happy Gallia," _she insisted as she sat down beside her. She then dipped a long-toothed wooden comb into a small basin of water beside her and began working it through a section of Gallia's hair.

"_Are you really happy Anaya or are you just saying that? Because you know I want you to have all the happiness in the world," she told her. "You just seem out of sorts lately and I want to make sure you are alright."_

Anaya inwardly sighed at her sister's concerns. _"I'm fine Gallia you must trust me on that," _she reassured her while she dipped the comb into the water once more. This conversation was a bunch of nonsense, thought Anaya._ "I already have everything I could want right here. Besides, today is your day, don't spend it being needlessly concerned for me."_

"_Anaya-" _Gallia protested knowing that there was far more to all of this than what Anaya was telling her. She had seen her out night after night, staring longingly into the woods. And she had seen all the other things like when she'd race off into the trees as if she were chasing a ghost or rubbing her neck by the firelight with a far off look in her eyes. She felt as if a void had grown in Anaya's heart and Anaya knew the answer to filling it. Still she was holding back, not telling anyone of her desire. Gallia did not want her sister to live like this; like she was half complete.

"_I will have a family of my own someday but until then I have ours to take care of." Anaya said, giving her sister a hug. "__Gráim thú (I love you), now let's get your hair finished." _

Gallia turned around so that her sister could finish combing through her hair. She was about to needle Anaya further and ask her if she had been meeting someone in the woods at night, as was her suspicion, but then decided against it. She knew that Anaya was a very private person and never shared the secrets of her heart to anyone. If she was indeed meeting a boy she hoped that she was happy and that for whatever reason why she felt the need to keep it a secret that it would not lead her to tragedy.

…

Having tamed her sister's thick and long locks, Anaya walked into the other room once more to get a basket of wildflowers she had set out last night to decorate Gallia's hair with. Picking up the basket and pushing the flowers around to see what choices she had to work with Anaya heard her father and her sister's soon to be father-in-law, Faolan, talking outside the window. She assumed they were discussing some business about the wedding and was not going to idle but then she heard Faolan mention her name causing her to hesitate a moment.

"_Anaya?" _She heard her father ask the slightly older man, he seemed somewhat surprised. _"No I'm not worried for her, her time will come."_

Anaya's back stiffened defensively for she could easily guess what their conversation was about now. She quietly moved to crouch under the window to listen to them closer. Anaya knew the moment when her younger sister got engaged to Owen that people would begin to talk about her own unmarried status but she didn't think that she'd actually hear what they had to say for herself. Just knowing that Faolan was talking about her now set her teeth on edge.

"_At least she is still young," Faolan said then, as if it were some small consolation, "even though she is your eldest. Have you ever considered arranging a marriage for her?" _He asked with an air of hopefulness in his tone; clearly he wasn't afraid to let her father know how he felt on the matter.

Anaya pursed her lips in anger, unable to believe the boldness of this man. He may have been of higher status than her family but he was overstepping his bounds with this suggestion. He was not her father, thank the gods, nor should he assume that he could act like it. Anaya knew perfectly well why he was having this conversation with her father; Faolan did not want his family to be connected to one whose eldest daughter has failed to marry before her younger siblings. Although mild as it was, it was considered to be somewhat of an embarrassment.

She heard her father laugh then, she could tell he was trying to be as cordial as possible with the man, _"An arranged marriage for Anaya? Not at all, the girl is only eighteen she has plenty of time to settle down. Besides she would not have it, she's as stubborn as I am ."_

Anaya grinned at his reminder to Faolan that she was a warrior's daughter, strong and unyielding. Her father knew her well and so should have Faolan. It was a relief to know that her father was on her side in this.

"_I mean no disrespect by saying this Langer but perhaps you should consider it," _Faolanpushed_. "Anaya is a beauty, it would be a shame to see all her spark and vivacity go to waste on chasing after animals through the woods."_

Faolan's words made her bristle in anger. If only he knew what she chased after in the woods perhaps he would not be so insistent on her finding a man. Furthermore she protected their village, defending its people every night with her bow and arrow. There were many ways in which to serve her tribe, the convention of marriage was not her only choice.

Having heard enough, Anaya crept away from the window and grabbed up the basket of flowers. She returned to her sister then who was sitting cross-legged amongst the furs on the floor and gazing into the basin of water at her reflection. Faolan would soon get the bragging rights that he had this beautiful girl as his daughter-in-law, wasn't that enough for him? Anaya was just relieved that Gallia loved Owen, otherwise, in her mind, the marriage would not be worth it.

'I am an embarrassment to your new family sister,' she thought as she sat down behind Gallia and began to separate strands of her golden locks to weave into braids. Anaya did not mind this fact so much but if her sister began to think the same way as Faolan she didn't think she could take it. However, for now she had her sister's love and her sister would forever have hers no matter what.

…

Midday came and passed in what seemed like mere minutes to Anaya who had been rushing around the house all day preparing for the ceremony. She had finished dressing the bride and cooking the main dish for the celebration feast and the only thing she had left to do was to get herself ready.

Even though she was currently a mess, she wanted to look presentable for her sister. It was only right that she represent her family well. Also there would be dancing at the feast that night and Anaya secretly loved to dance; she felt that it was a lot like hunting, the thrill of it anyway. She was also highly praised in her skill at it and wanted to indulge in this slight vanity.

Before she went to her room to clean herself up, Anaya stepped outside to see how the village center looked. Gazing down the hill from her house she saw garlands of evergreen and wildflowers draped over doorways and hung across eaves of the thatched houses. People were coming and going from their homes setting banquet sized dishes on either one of the two long tables that had been erected outside. Anaya breathed in deeply and could smell their succulent aroma hanging in the air. Also a huge fire was being tended to in the village's central pit to light up the night for the celebration and feast. Many of her tribesmen had already gathered around it, mingling with one another and waiting for the festivities to begin.

Hearing the sound of heavy footfalls behind her, Anaya turned around to see who was approaching; it was her father. He had been gone for a while now, talking to Owen's family, no doubt about Gallia's dowry and property worth. Regardless of what it was, he seemed in good spirits.

"_Hello," _she greeted with a half smile. _"Gallia's ready now and I will be too in a little."_

"_Anaya, I have something for you," _he said, his serious tone catching Anaya's attention. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a round silver pendant. He let it hang in the air for a moment before setting it in the palm of his hand and holding it out to her. It was a simple but beautiful tribal design with a rough cut crystal set in the center of it. Anaya gasped recognizing the piece of jewelry immediately; it had belonged to her mother.

"_I see you remember it," _he said with a smile as he reached out and clasped the chain around her neck. Anaya touched the pendant that was now hanging around her throat and could not keep herself from smiling. She was speechless at her father's gesture. _"I'm glad to see it makes you so happy. I gave it to your mother before you were born," _he explained,_ "She would have wanted you to have it."_

"_It's beautiful father, I remember she used to wear it all the time." _She said, marveling at it._ "But why are you giving me this? It's not as if it's my wedding day." _

"_I know, but it seemed like the right time." _He said, quelling her slight guilt._ "You're grown up now and have become a beautiful young woman. It seems only right that you have your mother's necklace to remind you of that." _

Anaya then hugged her father tightly, tears that she did not wish to show coming to her eyes._ "I miss her."_

Langer nodded as he squeezed Anaya's shoulders in comfort._ "So do I… you remind me of her so much."_

"_Do I?" _Anaya asked curiously, pulling away then. Her father had never told her this. Perhaps it was because thinking of her mother and how she died was painful for him. It was painful for her as well but she would talk about her at night with her sister, finding comfort in each other's memories.

"_Yes, you have a lot of me in you that's for sure," _he said proudly as a father might say to his warrior son. "_But your looks and your stubbornness is all from your mother. So is your kindness and your bravery. I always depended on her to help me protect us and now I look to you. You keep this family together more than you know." _

Anaya could tell that this was something that her father had been thinking for a long time now. Her heart swelled up with happiness and pride as she bowed her head in respect, _"Thank you father." _She said, deeply honored by his words.

"_No my daughter," _Langer said, pulling her into another loving hug,_ "thank you. You've been my pride and joy all these years."_

Anaya had no words to respond to her father's sentiments; they were unexpected but highly welcomed. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, savoring this rare moment of affection from her father. At the wedding he would become the hard soldier once again and she the stone-faced huntress but for now their masks were off.

…

Gallia smoothed the wrinkles from the front of her long white dress before making her way to the front of the house. It was time for the ceremony to start and Anaya was going to see her down to the village center. She lightly touched one of the flowers in her hair thinking that it might be falling out, but she found that it wasn't. Besides her hair and her dress there wasn't much Gallia was nervous about. She knew that her marriage was going to be wonderful it was just getting through the ceremony that she was somewhat worried about.

"_You look beautiful,"_ Anaya said as she placed a circular garland of flowers and evergreen atop her head. Gallia smiled in gratitude and Anaya opened the front door of the house for her to walk through unhindered. Stepping onto the green grass Gallia realized in a jolt of excitement that this was it.

"_Oh sister," _she said looking back at Anaya with great joy in her expression, _"I'm going to get married."_

"_Yes, I know," _Anaya replied with a grin. _"And it's my job to help you get there so make sure you don't drag your hem on the ground and get it all muddy. I don't want to be blamed for presenting a filthy bride."_

"_I am not filthy!" _She laughed in excitement as she grabbed up her skirt and began to skip down the hill as if she were a girl again.

"_Gallia!" _Anaya called running after her, now worried that she actually would get herself all dirty. Once she caught up with her Gallia smiled widely and gave Anaya a quick peck on the cheek.

"_Thank you so much for all your help Anaya. I'm going to miss living with you… father and brother too but you especially."_

"_Somehow I don't think you'll be so lonely with Owen around to keep you company," _Anaya said with a sly little grin; then she continued to make her way down the let out a socked laugh at the suggestiveness of her sister's comment and went off after her.

They made their way through the village until they came to the crowd of villagers who were all gathered in front of the altar. The crowd then parted for the bride and Gallia squeezed Anaya's hand as she left her sister's side and made her way to her father's so that she may be walked down the aisle to her future husband.

Anaya took her place in the audience next to her little brother and watched as Gallia and her father walked up to the altar. Gallia was so graceful in this moment that it looked to Anaya as if she was floating. Once they reached the front Owen then took her hands in his and began to recite his vows to her.

"_I, Owen, in the name of the spirit of God that resides within us all, by the life that courses within my blood and the love that resides within my heart, take thee Gallia to my hand, my heart, and my spirit, to be my chosen one. To desire thee and be desired by thee, to possess thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy ways as I respect myself."_

Gallia was beaming by the time that he had finished. Langer placed a hand on Anaya's shoulder, knowing that it was now time for Gallia to recite her vows. Anaya grabbed her father's hand in support. She knew that he would not cry, it simply was not possible, but he did show his love and emotions in simple gestures like these and Anaya understood his feelings perfectly well in this moment for they were her own.

"_I Gallia, in the name of the spirit of God that resides within us all, by the life that courses within my blood, and the love that resides within my heart, take thee, Owen to my hand, my heart, and my spirit, to be my chosen one…"_

Anaya watched from the crowed as her sister repeated the beautiful words first spoken by her husband. A joyous smile graced Gallia's face and a blissful tear was caught in her eye. Anaya could hardly believe that one person could make another so completely happy, but this was proof to her that it was possible. She felt tears begin to well up in her own eyes then as she realized her sister was truly in love.

Once the ceremony was over the sun had already set which meant that it was time for the celebration feast begin. Everyone ate and drank their fill, enjoying all the different dishes that each family had made. It really was a beautiful banquet and celebration, one of the best that had been held in the village for a long while. All the tribesmen raised their glasses and cheered for the newlyweds and after the feast the two led the first dance of the night.

…

Godric watched Anaya dancing from the edge of the crowd; skillfully hidden in shadow on the side of one of the long houses. He thought she moved with such effortless grace that she looked ethereal weaving in and out of the line of dancers. Her partner tried so hard to match her elegance but was failing as any mere mortal man would with such a beautiful lady. He smiled proudly to himself knowing that if she were in his arms there would be no chance of either faltering.

Even from his distant hiding place, he could smell the wild flowers that were woven into her hair. They were mixing with her beautiful scent and the smell was positively intoxicating to him. He could still taste the sweetness of her blood even after eight months of hunting and feeding on others. For some reason Godric still wanted so much more of the beautiful huntress.

Her white skin was gleaming in the moonlight as her graceful body moved fluidly through the crowed of dancers. All he wanted to do was to pull her to him and taste her lips, her breasts, and her blood again. Some nights when his desire became too much for him he would watch her hunt and stalk in the woods. He'd lie on a thick branch in a tree and gaze down at her athletic form as she would stretch an arrow in her bow. As a predator, she was silent, smart and moved like water through the cracks in the earth, finding new and inventive routes to navigate through the trees to come upon her pray. Godric admired her skill and was certain that, if given the power, she would make a very impressive vampire. This was why he was here tonight, to finally claim her as his own.

He could not deny that after spending decades alone in the wilderness he desired companionship. Finding Anaya, he discovered that he didn't even have to look for it. She was a perfect candidate to be his prodigy; she was beautiful, deadly, and most importantly unassuming. Anaya had no idea what he was or what he could offer her and this gave Godric much comfort. She would be grateful to him, follow his lead as her maker, and not demand anymore of his power than what he offered. He had heard stories of prodigies becoming greedy and jealous of their makers; turning on them in spite. Godric would not allow this to happen to himself, he would not be foolish. He could tell that Anaya was the type to be fiercely loyal to him and not traitorous; she was perfect.

The song had ended and Anaya stepped away from her partner giving him a polite smile before leaving. Godric then stepped out of the shadows and joined the crowd, blending in as if he were one of their own.

**AN:** I am so sorry that this chapter took so long. I swear I've been writing a little every day but this one seemed to be getting so long. I really hope you all liked it and will let me know what you think. Also don't forget to read the sneak peek for Chapter 4!

Also the wedding vow that Gallia and Owen exchange is a real Pagan wedding vow. I thought it was very appropriate for the story as well as quite beautiful. Also some of the sentiments expressed within it will appear later in the story.

**Preview for Chapter 4:**

_Some of the villagers watched the young pair curiously as they danced. They began talking amongst themselves, murmuring that they had never seen that boy before and that his tattoos were not of their tribe. Yet they all agreed that Anaya seemed to know him well judging by the sensual way she moved around him and laughed at what he was whispering in her ear. _

_Gallia heard some of the villagers talking and looked up from across the fire pit and saw Anaya with a mysterious young man. He was incredibly handsome and graceful as he led Anaya in a dance. _

"_That's him," she whispered to herself in shock. It had to be the man that Anaya watched for every night, she just knew it._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Trouble**

As Anaya was dancing, she suddenly felt a familiar presence spike in her blood. Death, she thought, her steps becoming slower and out of rhythm with the music as she looked around the crowd of dancers. She couldn't see him but still continued to look as she stopped moving altogether. Her heart beat excitedly in her chest as her gaze darted around the circle of people. Her partner then asked her if something was wrong shaking her from her thoughts and bringing her back to reality. _"I'm fine," _she told him as she picked up the dance again.

Godric watched Anaya as she continued to look over her partner's shoulder searching for him in the crowd. A pleased smirk tugged at his lips as he watched her, he knew that she felt his presence and that she wanted to find him. He walked between members of the crowd, keeping skillfully hidden from Anaya's sight as he made his way around the fire pit towards her. She was so graceful, even when she was distracted, he thought to himself. Every move was powerful and perfect; she was a true huntress. The only thing that she had ever fallen prey to was him; and in a world full of dark and evil things, this was an impressive boast.

He hoped that his return to her would be a welcomed one. Regardless, he had watched and waited for as long as he could and he could no longer let another night pass without being with her; without touching her and tasting her.

Once the drum music ceased and the dancers struck their final pose, Godric started to make his way out of the crowd towards her. Anaya faced her partner who was sweaty and out of breath and inclined her head towards him in polite thanks. He did the same and then was immediately called off by a group of his male friends who had been waiting for him to finish the dance so that they could share in a drink together. He had quickly apologized before he ran into the throng of people leaving Anaya alone. She stared after him, frustrated that he would just run away as he did. Still, she was not surprised.

Seizing this opportunity, Godric moved out of the crowd and came up directly behind her. He took in the beauty of her flower scented hair and the way her elegant back gently expanded with every breath. Godric was so close to her that he could wrap his arms around her waist if he wanted.

"_You look beautiful tonight," _Godric whispered in her ear, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He knew that he had surprised her.

Anaya's heart skipped a beat as this calm, soothing voice caressed her ear. There was doubt in her mind as to who this was; the sound of Death's voice was still fresh in her memory. Also no other man, woman, or creature had ever been able to sneak up on her like that except for him. Taking in a breath for courage Anaya slowly turned to face the owner of the voice. Her gaze then met with a pair of familiar blue eyes.

Anaya went to touch him, to make sure that he was real, but then stopped herself. Noticing her endearing urge, Godric reached up and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. 'Yes I am here little one,' he thought savoring the warmth of her skin against his own. Anaya closed her eyes at his touch, bathing in the spell of his presence. 'You are mine,' he told himself.

"_Was it you who was watching me in the woods this morning?" _She asked upon opening her eyes. The only response she got from him was a little smirk. She did not know what to make of it but regardless, she was happy that he was finally here after having waiting for so long for him to return.

"_Dance with me," _he requested holding out his hand, his smile was becoming more mischievous by the second. A warm shiver ran down Anaya's spine when she saw his rakish expression. Her eyes flicked back and forth from his outstretched hand to his face, deciding what she should do. The music began to start up again and Anaya tentatively slipped her hand into his.

"_You're being coy with me Anaya," _Godric said, flashing another grin then leading her to a clear spot among the other dancers. _"I told you I would come back."_

Anaya opened her mouth to explain her shock but the first step of the dance had begun leaving her no time to argue. Anaya moved fluidly around her new partner, not missing a beat. Once the time came in the dance for Godric to begin, he moved in perfect timing with her, complimenting her every move. The two made a beautiful couple which drew many eyes from the banquet to them. Either they didn't notice or they didn't care because their focus never once left one another.

The drumming grew progressively quicker, rising in intensity. As the music hit it's crescendo Anaya threw her arms up to the evening sky and Godric grabbed her wrists, sensually running his hands down her arms and then down to her waist. He then picked her up as if she weighed nothing and spun her around before gently placing her back on the ground. Anaya could not help but smile in awe of his skill, it stirred up the lust inside of her; he knew this dance very well and performed it as if he had done it thousands of times before. Their eyes met and Godric had to restrain himself from crushing her lips to his upon seeing her fiery gaze.

Many of the villagers watched the young pair curiously as they danced. They began talking amongst themselves, murmuring that they had never seen the boy whom Anaya was dancing with before and that his tattoos were not of their tribe. Yet they all agreed that Anaya seemed to know him well judging by the extremely familiar way she danced around him and how she smiled at him. But they were not as trusting of the young man as her, nor did they completely approve of her bold conduct with him either.

…

Gallia was heading back from the banquet table when heard some of the villagers talking about her sister and some stranger. Curious as to what they could be referring to, she looked up from across the fire pit and saw Anaya dancing with a mysterious young man. He was incredibly handsome and graceful as he led Anaya in a dance. He seemed almost like a creature to her with his wolfish grin and mature eyes rather than a young man.

"_That's him,"_ she whispered to herself in shock as she watched him effortlessly lift her sister high in the air. It had to be the man that Anaya searched for in the woods every night, she just knew it. She didn't know whether or not to be happy or worried for her older sister. This man might not be able to be trusted even if Anaya thought otherwise.

"_What are you saying darling?"_ Owen asked, approaching his wife and kissing her lightly on the temple. He looked in the direction of her gaze and saw that she was looking at her sister and the stranger.

"_Nothing," _she said, interlacing her fingers with his and leaning against his chest. _"I was just talking to myself is all."_

"_He's a runaway slave you know. That man your sister is dancing with," _he told her.

"_You know him?" _Gallia asked in surprise, looking back at her husband.

"_No, but I can tell by that brand on his back shoulder. I've seen one's like it before; it's the mark of a slave. Tell Anaya to be careful of him, we don't know if someone is looking for him nor do we know who he is."_

Gallia nodded in agreement. She then saw the large circular scar on the young man's back as he turned away from her. It was deep and made her flinch just imagining how painful it must have been to receive. She wondered where he had come from and how he had escaped his bondage.

…

Once the dance had finished, Anaya and Godric bowed deeply to one another as cheers for the musicians and dancers filled the air. Their gazes met and they both saw the lustful fire that was burning in each other's gaze. Anaya's breath caught in her throat seeing her desire mirrored in his eyes. She ached to get away from these people so that she could be alone with him.

Anaya and Godric both knew that her tribesmen were staring at them, wondering who he was and how Anaya knew him, but they did not care. They only wanted to be in each other's company; that seemed to be the most important thing at the moment. Godric had risked exposing himself to these people and yet it was all worth it to be able to claim Anaya.

They discretely left the dance ring together, getting lost in the throng of people. Once they were nearly forgotten about, Godric then led Anaya away from the crowd, weaving through the dirt roads and thatched houses, until they came to the northern edge of the woods where it was quiet and devoid of people. There were no more words spoken between them, each knowing the other's mind as they headed into the trees. Anaya's heart beat quickened with excitement as they traversed over the leaf strewn ground and large roots together. Unable to restrain himself anymore, Godric stopped in their retreat from the village and pulled Anaya to him, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Time seemed to stop then as they finally connected once more. Anaya embraced him tightly, burying her fingers in his thick dark hair and relishing the feel of his perfect body against hers.

Godric placed warm kisses down her neck then continued his descent downwards to nuzzle her cleavage and further still till he was on his knees licking and nibbling the muscles of her flat stomach. Wrapping his arms around her waist he pulled her down to her knees as well, kissing her lips once more with increased fervor. Each felt a burning hunger within them that needed to be satiated immediately.

Anaya roughly pushed Godric on his back and feverishly ground her hips against his large arousal, moaning longingly at the feel of him between her legs. Godric growled in pleasure as he held onto her thighs and watched her roll her beautiful hips over his again and again. This dance of hers was far more primal than the one she performed around the fire pit and it set him on fire.

Grabbing the laces of his leggings, Anaya loosened them enough for Gordric to roughly push them down and discard them. Using his vampire speed, Godric then flipped her onto her back and plunged inside of her. His fangs immediately popped out at the rush of ecstasy it gave him. He grabbed a hold of her long golden hair then and willed himself not to bite her yet. This was exactly where he wanted to be in this moment. Anaya cried out in ecstasy as she wrapped her legs tightly around his hips. She quickly caught on to his rhythm, lustfully bucking her hips up to meet his powerful thrusts. She couldn't get enough of him.

Anaya raked her nails down his back leaving red marks over his sea serpent tattoo as he fiercely moved above her. They were now racing towards completion. Godric leaned down and passionately claimed her lips. His fangs scrapped against her flesh, drawing blood which he feverishly licked away. His little Anaya was now shaking beneath him, so close to release. He drove into her with purpose now, each thrust bringing her closer and closer to orgasm. Anaya moaned and twisted beneath him, her body's muscles strung so tightly she could barely breathe until finally her orgasm came crashing down over her. She cried out in pleasure as she gripped onto the muscles of Godric's back, wave after wave of ecstasy rolling over her.

Godric grinned in satisfaction as he continued to thrust deeply within her, not having finished yet. His body soon tensed up, his hips thrusting in and out of her seemingly of their own accord now as he felt his own orgasm hit. Godric growled loudly as Anaya met his hips movements with her own, drawing out his pleasure. His movements slowed and their panting became one as Godric leaned over her. Their lips met in a slow, exhausted kiss. Anaya twined her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Godric put his fangs away then as he continued to kiss her.

Lying beside her only moments later he wondered how he was going to tell her what he really was. Surely she knew now that he was something other than what he had told her before; that he was more of a bringer of death rather than Death itself. Surly she'd know that Death would not have made love to her as he did, have craved her presence or have laugh and danced with her.

Anaya curled up behind Godric who wrapped his arms protectively around her thin middle then began to close her eyes. Not even a moment after she shut them she heard something strange in the distance. It was a disturbing, human sound that seemed a lot like shrieking. Godric sat up immediately to listen closer, having heard the noises start before Anaya did.

"_What is that?" _Anaya asked with an air of trepidation in her voice.

"_We have to go," _Godric said, quickly grabbing up his leggings and putting them back on. That's when Anya heard the distinct and clear sound of terrorized screams coming closer to the woods. She instantly pulled herself together and began sprinting as fast as she could towards her village, leaving Godric behind. He saw her running and immediately took off after her; swiftly coming up behind her. _"Allow me," _he said picking her up in his arms and using his vampire speed to run back into the village.

Anaya had no chance to fully register Godric's power for what she saw before her was pure pandemonium and horror. Flames licked high into the sky from the center of the village only it was not from the pit but rather their meeting house and several other buildings surrounding it. Panicked screams and cries erupted from all ends of the village as did the sound of clanging swords. Anaya looked around desperately for someone to explain but there was no one. Godric stood by her side with a grim expression, his eyes had grown dark as he stared at the flames in the sky. It seemed as if he had some idea what was happening but would not voice it aloud. Suddenly a tribeswoman ran out from among the houses, her clothes were smeared with blood and she was limping slightly.

"_Gods," _Anaya gasped in shock, unable to quiet her thoughts, _"What is happening!" _she cried out to the older woman.

"_They've come from the south!" _The woman panted as she ran past the two.

"_Who?" _Anaya asked, grabbing for the woman's wrist to stop her.

The woman halted only for a moment, _"I… don't know. Run into the woods girl… you too boy… it's your only chance… they'll kill you." _

Then the woman disappeared into the trees leaving Anaya and Godric standing alone once more, the horrible sounds of slaughter persisting from the village in front of them.

"_I must find my family," _Anaya said. Godric nodded in understanding.

"_I will come with you," _he told her, knowing that she would need his protection among all this chaos.

**AN:** Hey! Thanks so much for continuing to read my story. Let me know what you think of this chapter, I'm intensely interested to know what you're all thinking.

**Sneak Peek for Chapter 5: My Name is Sorrow:**

_"I can take the pain away," Godric told her as he held her tightly to his chest. "I can give you a new life free from the agony of this one. Let me do this for you Anaya."_

_"How?" Anaya asked, not believing that a future without this pain was possible._

_"I will make you what I am," he said, stroking her hair. "Then you can walk through the night with me, blessed with powers you couldn't imagine, and never be harmed again."_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: My Name is Sorrow**

As Anaya neared the heart of the village she found that all around her was turmoil and chaos. Her breath hitched in her throat as she saw her tribesmen stubbornly fighting against a hoard of foreign soldiers. Her heart sank knowing that they were not prepared for this. She looked over at Godric who had his eyes fixed on the sight before them.

The enemy warriors were throwing flaming torches atop the roofs of houses, setting them ablaze. Women and children ran from the flaming buildings, unable to take shelter in them. They were mercilessly cut down by the foreign soldiers who were waiting outside.

It was difficult to tell in the darkness who was the enemy and how many numbers they had. But it was clear by their strategic precision that this had been a planned attack. They had caught them completely off guard and the villagers had barely any opportunity to run or fight back. This was not a battle, this was a slaughter.

"_We have to get to my house so we can arm ourselves," _Anaya cried above the noise, trying to distance herself from the mass panic. Godric nodded and quickly gathered her up in his arms and ran across the field, up the hill to her house.

The thatched home seemed untouched; there were no lights shining through the windows and no discernable noises coming from inside. Anaya approached the door, feeling that it was safe to go inside.

Godric stared intently down the hill, looking for anyone who might have followed them. _"I'll wait outside and guard the entrance while you get your weapons," _he told her, backing into the dark shadow of the house to conceal himself. Anaya nodded in agreement and headed inside.

It was darker in the house than it was outside and Anaya had to wait for her eyes to adjust to the poor lighting. She knew that her bow was leaning against the wall next to the door so she reached out and felt for it. Once her fingers brushed against the polished wood, she quickly slung it over her shoulder and tiptoed further into the house to find her quiver of arrows. The silence in the space around her coupled by the utter chaos coming from outside set her nerves on edge, her very bones felt as if they were quaking beneath her skin. She felt deep inside of her that something about the house was wrong. The sense of danger loomed heavily over Anaya and compelled her to move as quickly as she could. She grabbed up her arrows and her hunting knives. The last thing she needed was the dagger in her father's room.

She pushed passed the deerskin hanging in the doorway and knelt by her father's sleeping mat. Searching beneath the head of it she found the dagger. The hilt was made of antler that had intricate carvings of stags and other animals on it; a gift from her grandfather to her father. Gripping it tightly in her sweaty hand, Anaya whispered a small prayer and sheathed the blade in her leather vambrace. Just as she was about to get up, she heard the dry pats of footfalls from behind her. She immediately jumped around to face the noise, her heart seizing in her chest. It was a man, not one of her tribesmen but one of the foreign warriors, standing at the front of the room. Anaya stared at him fixedly, not saying a word as she shot daggers into his eyes with her gaze. The warrior marked her fierce manner and slowly stepped in front of the doorway, purposely blocking her only exit. How he got in the house, Anaya didn't know; unless he had already been inside waiting. Death would not have let him through, she thought.

"_Look at this sweet little cunny, wonder how much a Roman would pay for a piece of you,"_ the barbarian taunted, wrapping his fingers around the handle of the sword he had at his belt. Anaya said nothing to the man blocking her exit, her stomach clenched tightly in disgust at his words. She knew very well what happened to women slaves, the very thought of it was revolting to her. _"You still a virgin?"_ He asked, slowly advancing on her as if she were a small animal he could simply corner and grab. Anaya was not so much frightened as she was infuriated by the offensiveness and gall of this stranger and she had enough of hearing this pig's talk.

Suddenly Godric appeared behind the man, half his face hidden in shadow, ready to strike. Startled by his sudden entrance, Anaya quickly glanced over at Godric. The man in front of her noticed her rapid eye movement and realized immediately that someone else was there with them. He turned to attack Godric, however Anaya took out her dagger from behind her and lunged forward at him with amazing speed. In one swift, succinct move she plunged the blade into his neck as if he were a piece of carving meat. The man gasped in shock, his scream was more like a violent choke as blood gargled up from his mouth and over his quivering lips. Anaya then pulled the blade across his throat, slitting it in half. She felt the warm spray of blood shoot forward onto the thatched wall and watched as the man who dared call himself a warrior crumple to the ground in a lifeless heap. Anaya was breathing heavily, overcome with adrenaline, and angrily kicked the body several times, calling him a bastard.

Godric watched all of this unfold before him in a matter of moments. He was extremely pleased by what he had just seen and instantly thought of pinning her against the bloodstained wall and crushing his lips to hers. Yet he suppressed this urge, knowing that it would not be something Anaya would have particularly welcomed at that moment. Still, she made a very impressive show and he realized he wanted more than anything to watch her kill again.

Anaya's heart was beating rapidly in her chest, thumping against her ribcage, and her hands were trembling from the adrenaline rushing through her. She had killed a man- this was her first thought and her second was that even though it filled her with fear, she was glad she did it. After a few passing moments, the only fear she felt was for the safety of her family and the rest of her was filled with a determination to protect them. She was terrified to think that something might have happened.

Godric switched his sharp gaze back and forth from the body at his feet to Anaya. Anaya just stared down at the dead warrior, her eyes fixed on the lifeless form. Brushing her hair from her face she kneeled down next to it and started searching it to see if she could find any information about where he might be from.

"_They're not Romans," _She said, very sure of this fact, _"they're Gallic, from the southern tribes, I recognize their marks." _Anaya whispered, brushing a finger over one of the dark blue tattoos on the man's arm. The tribes had had difficulties with each other in the past but ever since the conquests of the North by the Romans, they had been united in their cause to push back the enemy from their borders.

"_Your right… but this sword," _Godric said, picking up the gladius from the dirt floor, _"this is Roman."_ Godric easily recognized the fat, double edged blade and short wooden handle. He had seen many of these in both his human and vampire life.

This discovery was shocking to Anaya. Their resistance had been betrayed by their brother's from the South who must have joined Rome in their campaign for Gaul. The Roman's must have bribed them, promised them something that they thought was greater than being the rulers of their own homeland. But she could not imagine how they attacked the village so easily. How did they know when and how to strike?

Suddenly her gaze met Godric's and it turned cold and vicious, _"Are you with them?" _She asked, standing up and pointing to the body. Anaya did not know how she would control herself if his answer were yes.

"_No," _He answered her calmly. visions of his own past flashed before his eyes as he looked down at the sword in his hand. _"I have not lived among humans for many decades. These men are far worse beasts than I." _He told her, tossing the blade to the ground. His hate for the Romans that once blazed inside of him had long been extinguished. During his second life he learned that evil resided everywhere, not just in Rome.

Anaya stared at Godric for a long moment, trying to discern if he were lying to her. She had to think that he was a stranger and even though she felt as if she knew him, the truth was she did not. He could have killed her that night when he had pounced on her in the forest, in fact she thought that he had meant to. He was dangerous and perhaps untrustworthy in his nature; Anaya could not yet discern the latter. Still, whoever and whatever he was, he did not seem to be with these men… he was nothing like them in many ways. Anaya slowly relaxed her tense stance and put away her knife. _"I believe you,"_ she told him. Godric could sense some of her doubt in her words but did not question it for he would show his loyalty to her soon enough. He then bowed his head in gratitude for her trust.

"_We should go," _he said, _"your people need you."_

Anaya and Godric headed off with great speed down the hill and into the thick of the battle. The minute they crossed swords with the enemy they never ceased fighting until the battle was over.

Godric fought right by Anaya's side, watching out for the spritely warrior as she took on one opponent after the other. The enemy kept coming at them and she slashed each one of them to ribbons in a matter of moments. Godric used only his speed and his fangs to kill his challengers. Those were the only weapons that he needed when he was fighting against mortals. Anaya however was using everything she had at her disposal; her dagger, her knives, her arrows, her hands… Godric feared that the growing smoke from the fires would thin the air and cause her to collapse. She was an extremely skilled fighter, however she was still human. He made sure to never let her out of his sight in case she had need of his help.

…

The battle was over before dawn. It had started like a flash of lightening and ended with a crash of thunder; one moment it was there and the next it was gone, its presence still buzzing in the atmosphere. Anaya sat prostrated in the grass and brushed the sweat off of her brow and looked across the battlefield at the ruins which once was her home. There was no one left to fight, nor anyone left to save. The enemy tribe had raided the village and moved onwards, leaving behind nothing but rubble. The only people still there were the dead and wounded.

The last man she fought lay on the ground only a few feet away from where she had collapsed from exhaustion. The warrior had caught her on the calf with his sword, ripping a huge gash through her flesh. Thinking that she had killed him, she had foolishly turned her back to him when he fell to his knees. However, the man vengefully struck out at her one last time before crumpling over.

Godric had let down his guard as well and did not see the man ready his sword for one last blow. He heavily berated himself for it, angry that he allowed harm to come to her when he was right there to prevent it. Anaya on the other hand did not seem very phased by the wound. She was too drained, mentally and physically, to pay it much attention. Instead she continued to mop the blood and sweat from her brow and rest in the red-stained grass.

"_Anaya,"_ Godric said calmly, kneeling down next to her and examining her calf. Her leg looked in bad shape and he knew that if it was not healed it would get infected and she would die from it. She already was not responding to the pain, which was not a good sign. He knew that this was his fault.

Anaya did not answer him, she just looked down at her leg with a vague expression, not knowing what to do or say. Rest was the only thing that she could think of at the moment. Godric knew that if she did not drink from him, she would perish in a matter of days. He knew too that despite his rules, he owed her life for not looking after her as he had promised himself he would.

Typically Godric would have refused to give a mortal a taste of vampire blood; he had been taught that it was sacred. But Anaya was an investment of his, to give her his blood would not be a frivolous waste. Soon enough she would be vampire and their bond would be valid, he reasoned. Giving her his blood now would serve as a platform on which to build their future bond.

Making his decision, Godric bit into his wrist, making two large punctures into his vein. _"You must drink from me," _he told her, offering her his bleeding arm. He took note of her startled expression and smiled, realizing how strange his offer must have seemed to her. _"If you drink my blood it will heal you and you will be able to walk again," _he explained, pulling himself closer to her.

"_Like magic?" _She asked, her brows knit in confusion.

"_Yes, like magic," _he told her, trying to coax her into taking the blood he was offering her.

Anaya knew that magic in medicine was real, her people used it all the time however she never heard of this sort of remedy. It seemed dark and forbidden to drink of another's blood, yet he was willingly giving it to her as if it were the simplest of tonics so perhaps it was nothing to fear. Besides, Anaya's mind was too clouded to think of a reason why she shouldn't take it.

Unsure of how to go about drinking from him, Anaya tentatively inclined her head towards his outstretched arm then hesitated before deciding to take his hand in hers and bring his wrist to her mouth. When the red-copper taste hit her tongue Anaya felt an instant rush of energy flow through her body, the feeling wrapping around her senses and entwining with her very soul. This was magic, Anaya realized, real magic.

Discerning when she had drank enough, Godric pulled his wrist from her lips. His wound healed immediately and so did hers. Anaya looked down at the gash in her leg in amazement as the flesh began to close up and weave itself back together. Other than the dried blood, there was no trace that a wound had ever been there, no scar, no scratch, just smooth skin. There were so many questions that Anaya wanted to ask Godric regarding this magic of his yet she knew that they would have to wait. She felt a resurgence in her stamina and her mind was no longer veiled with fatigue and pain. She remembered her family was out in the ruins somewhere, perhaps in need of her help. Pushing herself up off of the ground as if nothing had happened, Anaya set out in search for her family determined to find them safe and alive.

…

There was nothing but death all around her; no survivors no wounded to tend to, only the dead remained in the ravaged village. The foreigners must have taken all of those able to walk with them. In war, living prisoners were worth a lot to the right buyer. She could not lose hope, she told herself. She just kept searching for survivors, trudging on through the dirt and blood. It was all Anaya could do.

Suddenly, an agonized moan then hit the air, instantly sending Anaya running as fast as she could towards it. Godric heard the cry too and followed close behind her, ready to defend them if he had to. Anaya came to a dead stop, looking around her to find the owner of the voice, yet she could see nothing in the tall grass.

"_Is someone out here!" _She called, hoping that she would hear an answer. She took a few steps backwards, surveying the field. Her ankle then hit something behind her and she jumped around to find a dead body, face down in the dirt.

"_Anaya!" _The same voice cried out, only a few yards off. Hearing her name, Anaya's heart seized in her chest and she went towards the voice. The grass and weeds whipped at her legs as she desperately pushed through them to get to the owner of the voice. Reaching a clearing she was finally face with the sight that she had dreaded seeing from the moment she hear her name being called.

"_Father!" _She cried in alarm as she ran up and threw herself down beside him. Her wide eyes fell to the sword lodged in his belly, the black-colored blood staining his clothing indicated to her that the wound was indeed mortal. A pang of sorrow unlike any she had ever felt before hit her in the stomach. She gazed into his clear blue eyes, not being able to believe what she had already known. _"No… no this cannot be, you will live, father," _she proclaimed in denial stroking his long hair back from his face, desperately hoping that if she said the words they would be true.

"_No my daughter, I will not," _he rasped, placing his hand atop hers in comfort. Anaya shook her head, her fingers wrapping tightly around his.

"_Don't say such things, I cannot lose you," _she said, hot tears now streaming down her face.

"_I'm afraid you must __mo chroí- my heart__." _He was saying things that she did not want to hear, that she just could not allow herself to hear. The thought of her father dying was impossible for her to believe. He was right there with her, how could he be gone forever in the next moment? It too much for her.

Anaya shook her head, knowing that she could not imagine being able to live without her family. _"Do you know where Gallia and Caio are, are they safe?" _She asked suddenly remembering to her great distress that she had no idea of their whereabouts. The two other cornerstones of her life were missing and the other fading fast in front of her. She realized that she would soon be alone very shortly.

"_They are gone, I saw them being taken," _her father hissed out in pain.

"_No," _she whispered, shaking her head. If they were not rescued, they would be forced into slavery. Anaya knew that she could not allow that to happen. _"I will get them back, I swear father," _She promised.

Langer nodded, _"I know you will. Promise me you will live for this family, that through you we will survive." _

"_I promise," _Anaya vowed, leaning over and holding her father's cold hand to her forehead as if in a prayer. He was fading fast and Anaya knew that he would be gone at any moment.

Their gazes met and Langer squeezed his daughter's hand. With a proud smile he spoke his last words, _"Out of any daughter or any son, I loved you the most my child."_

A sob escaped Anaya's throat upon hearing his declaration. _"I love you father," _Anaya whispered through her tears, not knowing if he had even heard her. Once his hand went limp in hers, Anaya cried out in despair and threw herself onto his body. Godric quickly knelt down beside her, easing her away from her father and into his arms.

Anaya sobbed into Godric's chest as he held her. He stayed silent for a long while, gently stroking her back as he allowed her time to grieve. Anaya's tears fell from her bloodshot eyes and ran down his chest. He had not seen, much less felt, human tears for many decades. The sensation had become foreign to him. Yet Godric remembered what mourning was like. One by one he witnessed his family being taken away from him by the Romans. They were either brutally murdered or sold off into slavery to work at the salt mines; a death sentence in itself. Godric was sold to a Roman nobleman as a body slave. He never saw any of his family again and grew up abused and alone. Indeed, he knew what loss was and had felt if for the greater half of his human life.

"_I can take the pain away," _Godric told Anaya as he held her tightly to his chest._ "I can give you a new life free from the agony of this one. Let me do this for you Anaya."_

"_How?" _She asked, not able to believe that a future without the agony she was feeling was possible.

"_I will make you what I am," _he said, stroking her hair._ "Then you can walk through the night with me, blessed with powers you couldn't imagine, and never be harmed again."_

Anaya thought that all this sounded like a wishful fantasy. Yet this powerful creature that held her in his arms existed so perhaps he could indeed give her a new life.

She looked down at her father's body, considering what he had offered her. Her eyes burned with tears as she scanned over the desecrated village. There was nothing left for her here, she thought, coming to terms with the truth. She could never go back to the life she once had, nor was there any hope of moving on from it. Everything she had known was stripped away from her. Yet she had not forgotten the promise she had made to her father. She could not abandon her family, not even if it meant the end of her.

"_I want to," _she told him, _"but they took my sister and brother. I must live in order to save them no matter what agonies I face in doing so. Please let me live and after I've avenged my family I will gladly part from my human life and follow you into the night."_

"_Find your sister and brother," _he told her after a moment of consideration. _"But you must promise me that you will allow me to turn you after you've fulfilled your mission."_

_Anaya nodded in consent, not caring what the price was, she yearned for justice, "I will. Thank you Death-" _

"_My name is Godric," _he told her.

"_Godric," _she said, testing his name on her tongue. _"Thank you Godric."_

Reaching out, she closed her father's eyes, allowing his soul the chance to slip into the world beyond their own. Anaya hoped with all her heart that she may someday meet him there.

**AN:** Hey! Thanks so much for continuing to read my story. I've been pretty busy so I'm sorry for the delay in updates. Let me know what you think.

**Sneak Peek for Chapter 6 Vengeance:**

"_Are you hungry?" She asked him one night. Dawn was approaching and it was almost time for him to go to ground._

_Godric was confused by her question for a moment but when she held out her slender wrist to him he shook his head and gently pushed it back. "No, little one," he told her softly, setting her arm down in her lap. "I can go a while without feeding and you need all your strength. We're almost upon them." _

"_How many more nights will it be until we catch up with them?" She asked, this news obviously catching her interest. _

"_Tomorrow night I should think." Godric said with a grin as he lay down on his back and looked up at the stars, "Their scent is close."_

_Anaya nodded, her gaze fixated on the fire, imagining her vengeance being satiated. "I will kill them all."_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Vampire Teacher**

Embarking on their journey, Anaya and Godric had decided to head South from where the warriors came. They had slaves with them which meant they would be returning home to sell their bounty instead of continuing North. When they reached the great river Anaya found grooves in the sand left from boat keels running ashore on the river bank. Anaya figured that this was how they crossed the river in large numbers without perishing. She realized, much to her frustration, that it was not Godric who she had sensed in the woods the morning of the wedding day but warrior scouts from the southern tribe. If she was not so infatuated with finding Godric again, she might have sensed the danger and have warned her village before the attack.

Godric and Anaya agreed to only travel by night due to his condition and also to better evade detection by the enemy. They were highly out-numbered and so the only thing they had in their favor was that no one knew they were following them and also that they could move quicker than a caravan of warriors. Traveling by day would only lead to their detection. The cover of night was advantageous to them in many, many ways.

They had been walking for several nights, tracking the movements of the army ahead of them and trying to catch up with them. It was a hard road to follow and it became even harder with the oncoming winter at their heels. They both knew that there was no way of outrunning it. They would just have to endure the frost when it came.

The cold wind whipped harshly through Anaya's long hair, mussing it into wild, windswept tangles. Godric watched her as she continued trudging forward against the storm, steadfast to her purpose. The snow would begin to fall any night now and he was starting to become very aware of Anaya's mortality. His concern heightened as the nights passed, snowless but still dangerous to any human who tried to weather the winter storms. She barely had any food to eat, her body shivered constantly and she had nothing but a small fire in the early mornings to warm herself with. If they did not start taking more precautions, she might not survive long enough to reach the barbarians in time. He would have to turn her before she could finish her vendetta.

"_Are you hungry?" _She asked him one night. Dawn was approaching and it was almost time for him to go to ground. Anaya had lit a fire to warm her while she slept during the day, but for now they sat around it together. The two were used to this routine by now; they would begin their journey again the moment night fell until Godric had to go to ground at sunrise also leaving Anaya time to rest. Anaya learned to adapt to many things during her time with Godric, such as sleeping in the daytime and expecting his hunger to be for blood, not food. Which was why she asked if he were hungry.

Godric was confused by her question for a moment but when she held out her slender wrist to him he suddenly understood her meaning. He shook his head and gently pushed her arm back. _"No, little one," _he told her softly, setting her hand down in her lap. _"I can go a while without feeding and you need all your strength. We're almost upon them."_

It was true that he was growing weaker and the scent of Anaya's sweet blood made him dream of satiating his hunger but he could not allow himself to do it. He knew that Anaya needed to conserve as much energy as possible and that drinking her blood would further deplete her stamina. Besides, once they reached their goal there would be plenty of humans for him to feed off of and he would regain his strength.

Godric was surprised at how graciously she offered her blood to him. She must have trusted him in some way or she wouldn't have mentioned it at all. He liked to think that perhaps this meant that they would have a strong bond as maker and prodigy. After all trust was key in these types of relationships… he knew what he did to his own maker without it.

"_How many more nights will it be until we catch up with them?" _She asked, hoping that he had an answer.

"_Tomorrow night I should think." _Godric said with a grin as he lay down on his back and looked up at the stars,_ "Their scent is close."_

Anaya nodded, her gaze fixated on the fire. _"I don't know what I'll do when we reach them… no that's not true. Inside, I feel that I know how I'll react- I just don't want to admit it. We won't truly know until the moment comes but my desire right now is to kill them all."_

Godric smirked, pleased by the thought, _"I have no doubt that you will little one."_

Anaya attempted a smile a she poked at the wood on the fire with a long stick. She knew that those men she killed, and the ones she had yet to kill were her enemy and that she should hate them, but the emotions she was feeling were still unsettling. She felt in-between realities, as if she were partly mad. She did not know if this state of being would help her to survive the approaching battle or if it would be her folly. _"That night when the warriors came, that was the first time I've ever killed a man before." _She admitted, glancing over at the vampire._ "It should have been a hard thing for me to do… it should have been, but it wasn't. Have you killed much?"_

A wide grin spread across Godric's face as he gave her a nod, _"Yes, many men."_

Anaya thought on this for a moment, her eyes suddenly fixed on the fire. She watched the fames dance up from the charred wood, all the while remembering the attack on her decided that she did not like death, she did not like killing, yet she had discovered that evening that she was very good at it. A curse, Anaya thought ruefully, thrusting the stick she was holding down into the ashes of charred wood.

"_What will I become when you turn me?" _Anaya asked.

Godric looked over at her then. He had expected this question for a long time now and he had decided that he would tell her the truth when she asked. His maker had not been so kind to him, keeping his vampire identity a secret from Godric until he thought it convenient to turn him; his maker's intentions being only to subject him to an eternity of further abuse.

"_You'll be a vampire, like me," _he told her nodded slowly; she had heard stories of these so-called vampires. Apparently they roamed the night and fed on the blood of humans, unable to ever meet the sunlight. Her people did not call them vampires though; they had a different name for them.

"_How will you turn me?" _She asked, not quite certain that humans could become those types of creatures,_ "I mean, how is it done?"_

"_I must drain your body of all your human blood and then I give you mine. You will then wake up a vampire," _he explained._ "You see, first I must destroy you in order to make you."_

Anaya thought on this process for a moment, wondering how bad being turned was going to hurt. Her limbs pulsed hard then in anticipation of pain even though she knew that it would not come yet. It was going to be a sacrifice but one Anaya was hopeful that it was worthy of.

"_If you turn me into a vampire, what will that make us?" _She asked, curious to know more.

"_I'll be your maker and you will be my child."_

"_You're child?" _She asked somewhat disturbed by the incestual sounding term.

Godric had to laugh at her sudden distress, _"Not literally little one, the relationship is quite different with vampires than it is with humans. The maker and prodigy bond can come in many different forms." _He explained, finding all her questioning amusing. He found that humans were often quite humorous and Anaya's naiveté towards vampires charming; he decided then that he rather liked playing teacher.

"_What was your relationship with your maker like?" _She questioned, trying to get an idea of what he was talking about.

Godric's gaze locked onto the fire then, a shadow passed across his face as he stared into the smoldering embers. It was an innocent question on her part but to Godric it was a subject that was fraught with horrible memories. Immediately sensing the darkening mood, Anaya realized that this was not something that she should have asked.

"_I did not know him,"_ Godric lied, thinking that she did not need to know the details of his own experience with his maker. The truth was that his maker frequently exercised extreme cruelty towards him which drove Godric to murder him. Anaya was about to be turned in a matter of days, how would knowing the truth help her make the transition? It would only serve to frighten her, to make her skeptical. _"He turned me and left me before I woke up; he did not realize what he had done," _he told her. Godric was surprised on how convincing he could be in his lies. They were far from the truth but Godric thought that in time he could even convince himself to believe his story.

"_How did you survive without a mentor?" _Anaya asked.

"_I did what I had to," _He told her, knowing at least that was the truth. Godric did not wish to talk about his past any further. Looking up to the sky he saw the faint haze of light on the horizon, dawn was coming. _"It's time for me to go to sleep little one," _he said, pushing himself up off of the ground. Anaya followed him, not daring to question him more on his maker.

Godric stepped into the hole he had pre-dug for the day and reached out for an armful of dirt to pull in.

"_I can cover you tonight," _Anaya offered, truly wanting to do so. Gidric saw the longing to in her large eyes and found that he did not want to refuse her.

"_Thank you, little one," _he told her as he lay himself down in the hole. Anaya knelt down beside the lip of the ditch and pushed a pile of dirt on top of Godric's legs, trying to be as gentle and respectful as possible. Before she reached for another scoop, Godric grabbed her wrist to get her attention once more. _"When I turn you, we will not be sleeping in dirt filled ditches. I will make sure we have every comfort imaginable," _he promised her, meaning exactly he said. Living in the woods was fine when it was just him alone, but he was determined not to raise his coven in that manner. After this battle was over, he'd relocate them to a town or a city, perhaps even Rome itself, and they would take in every delight their new home would have to offer them.

Anaya kissed the chilled hand that was holding onto her wrist. _"Sleep now,"_ she said.

Godric closed his eyes and focused on the comforting weight of the dirt that his soon-to-be prodigy was pouring onto him. It did not take long for him to fall asleep.

AN: Thank you everyone for reading! I must tell you I am extremely busy and therefore updates will be a bit slower than usual.

**Sneak Peek at Chapter 7:**

"_My sister is a warrior- let her die with honor!" Gallia cried angrily. "Anaya, I know you, I know your heart, tell him what you want, please. You don't have to live in darkness with him. Tell him you want to die a warrior like your tribesmen, like your father."_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Only Dreaming**

_Anaya stirred from her sleep, being woken by the feeling of feather light touches on her ankles. Assuming it was leaves being blown over her skin by the breeze, she nuzzled her face into the thick fur she was sleeping on and curled her legs up closer to her chest. She felt that it was still daylight out and that she could sleep a little longer. But as she began to let herself drift back into her slumber she felt the strange brushing on her ankles once more, only this time there was a continual persistence to them. Anaya then felt a few fingers and then a palm- once it registered that it was a person, she jumped up out of her sleep in shock. Her gaze was then met with a familiar pair of calm blue eyes._

_"I didn't mean to scare you," Godric said, a little smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground at the base of her feet. Reaching out, he circled the raised bone of her ankle with one finger. He must have been watching her sleep._

_Anaya didn't understand what was going on, nor could she point out exactly what was so strange about all of this. She always awoke before Godric did, not to mention there was something strange about the way he looked to her right then. "Wait," she thought with a start, "Godric, it's daylight out!"_

_The sun was indeed shining over head- rays of light filtering down through the leaves on the large trees. _

_"Indeed it is," he replied, seeming to be untroubled by this fact. _

_Anaya realized that she could finally see Godric in full light. He was beautiful. But in that moment she feared for his safety._

_"I thought you said you couldn't be in the sun," she said, her brow knit in confusion. This is what he had told her and yet nothing seemed to be happening to him._

_"I can't, little one," he told her as he unfolded his legs and crawled up to lay beside her on the fur. _

_She then came to the answer on how this could be possible. "Is this a dream?" She asked him, suddenly feeling as if she were in a thick haze; each breath she took was like breathing in a heavy grey fog. She was now very aware of the etherealness of her surroundings and was surprised at how she did not notice it before._

_Godric nestled his head onto her bare shoulder, kissing the warm flesh as he did. "Yes, it is a dream," he said, gazing up at her with an apologetic smile, "but it's a beautiful one is it not?"_

_Anaya weaved her fingers into his hair and grinned in response. He was right, this was a beautiful moment they could share in the sunlight, even if it was a dream. Everything was calm, devoid of any worry or stress. There was nothing to do but to lie on the thick fur and enjoy one another's presence. Anaya took Godric's hand and interlaced her fingers with his. _

_"There's so much about you that I don't know," she whispered, running her fingers through his messy hair._

_Godric rolled on top of her, an arm resting on either side of her head, "ask me anything and I'll tell you." His lips then found the curve of her high cheekbone. _

_"But how can I know that you're telling the truth?" She said honestly, studying the wide-reaching branches of the trees above them._

_"You're going to have to take my word for it," he answered before pressing his lips to hers in a warm kiss. _

_Anaya wrapped her arms around his shoulders, uncurling her lithe body beneath him. She moaned lightly against his soft lips, welcoming his affections. It had been days since they had any contact like this. Anaya had been focused so heavily on her mission that it was only until this moment that she realized how much she missed it._

_"Where are you from?" she asked as he pulled away to cover her neck in kisses._

_Godric busied himself with her warm flesh before answering her. "I grew up in a small village very much like yours. My people are Gaul's, like your people."_

_"What of the mark on your shoulder?" She asked, tracing her fingers over the raised brand._

_Godric reached up and pulled her hand away, kissing her knuckles. He did not want her thinking of him as a slave- as someone to be pitied- but he promised to tell her the truth and he would not lie to her in the safety of her own dream. "I was a slave of the Romans, that is the mark of the house for which I served... but I ran away."_

_"Those Roman beasts think they own everything- my homeland, my brother and sister, you… How does one fight against such evil?" she snapped. _

_"There are many evils in this world little one, not simply the Romans. Together, we will travel far and wide- our lives will span centuries of unknown history- and you will see there are people like the Romans wherever you go."_

_Anaya nodded, reaching up and stroking his hair. "How did you escape your captors?"_

_Godric gazed down at her pensively. "That is a story for another time, but now you must wake up."_

_She tilted her head to the side in confusion, wondering how she was supposed to will herself awake. "But Godric-"_

_"Wake up!" The vampire screamed viciously, baring his fangs. _

…

Anaya awoke with a sudden start, soon realizing that she was lying on the mossy ground beside the loosened soil of Godric's sleeping ditch. The dream was still fresh on her mind- she could have sworn that it really happened. But how could it? For it was nearing sunset and Godric could not come out during the day.

Gods, she thought, remembering his terrifying outburst. It was quite the rude awakening. What was stranger than that was, dream-Godric knew it was time to rise. There was so much that she found confusing and intriguing about this vampire creature and more confusing still, that she was to become like him. She wondered what she would feel like, how differently she would see, smell, and hear things… what her abilities would be. It was strange that she had not thought of it until now. She wanted to be with Godric, for him to give her a new life, but what was the possible cost- would she be happier? The idea of becoming a vampire was now somewhat daunting.

Pushing these thoughts from her mind, she got off the ground and began moving the soil off of Godric's ditch. She had reached the final layer by the time the sun had set. Seeing movement in the dirt, she hurried to pull her lover out of it.

Godric, dirt and mud covered, grabbed a hold of Anaya's arms as she helped him to stand. He then scraped the dirt from his face and body into his shallow grave. Then he leapt out onto the mossy ground.

"I dreamed of you," Anaya told him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Godric smiled mischievously, "Was it a good dream?"

She nodded, thinking that it was, for the most part. The vampire ran his knuckled across her flat stomach and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"When you drank my blood, it created a bond between us, little one," he told her, pressing his forehead against hers. "Vivid dreams are a potential side effect."

Anaya grinned, "You were in the sunlight with me."

"What a lovely thought," Godric mused as he held her close, unsure if he meant to be mocking or not. "In the waking world I can only be in the darkness with you."

"I do not mind," she whispered.

After they had packed up camp, they headed onwards. Godric knew that they would intercept the enemy tonight. He could sense that they were very close. That meant that Anaya would give herself to him completely by becoming his child. He could not delay it any longer.

AN: Hey everyone! so sorry I've been lagging behind... a ton. But I' revisiting this story with the intentions of finishing. Please REVIEW and let me know what you think and if you want to read more.

**Preview of Chapter 7:**

_"My sister is a warrior- let her die with honor!" _Gallia cried angrily._ "Anaya, I know you, I know your heart, tell him what you want, please. You don't have to live in darkness with him. Tell him you want to die a warrior like your tribesmen, like father."_

Anaya opened her mouth as if she were about to speak but immediately began choking. Thick blood pooled up from her throat and into her mouth, it flowed heavily down her chin. She was drowning in her own blood and her body shivering in shock.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Vengeance Taken**

Anaya and Godric came upon the enemy caravan in a matter of hours. Stalking through the trees, they studied the soldier's ranks, devising the best plan of attack. There seemed to be about 20 of them at the most.

"There are the villagers," Anaya said, pointing to an iron cage cart in the middle of the caravan. She knew her sister and brother were cramped in there among the others and all she wanted to do was attack.

Godric leaned in close, his eyes fixed on the men on the trail below._ "When we attack, it must be quick and crippling. Go for their commanders first, without them, the rest are but confused soldiers."_

Anaya nodded as she pulled her father's sword from the sheath on her back. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the weight of it in her hand. This was her moment to strike at those who had destroyed her family. She was ready.

"Father, with your sword I will bring us vengeance," she vowed, her breath falling on the air in soft trundles of fog.

Then, swift as the wind itself, she charged down the hill, her blade in hand- the steel ready to taste blood. Godric followed after her, keeping his distance so that she may have her fill of carnage. Flying through the line of soldiers, she dispatched the two closest to the slave cart. She did not stop, but rather continued to sprint into the trees on the opposite side of the trail for cover. Godric, close on her heels, ripped the throats from two more men as he made his pass across the road.

The remaining soldiers looked around in confusion as to what had just happened. They drew their weapons and started to form a circle around the cart, shouting to each other to look for the attacker.

Anaya pressed herself into the back of one of the nearby trees like a patch of moss. She did not think the men saw where she had gone. Godric appeared in front of her in an instant, his mouth stained red with fresh blood. Dragging his fingers into the human paint on his lips, he reached out and smeared three fingers down Anaya's forehead to the tip of her nose and over her mouth.

"Take your revenge, little one," he whispered to her, his feral gaze unwavering.

Anaya nodded sharply before turning and sending two daggers sailing through the air. They made their home in the chest of an unsuspecting soldier. This stirred the anxiety of the enemy causing them to become disorientated. Gripping onto her father's sword once more, she headed back into the fray to face them head on.

Blood covered the ground, mixing into the mud and dirt as soldier after soldier fell by her hand. Godric watched from the edge of the forest as she fought with an untold fury. She did not seem to tire; in fact her strength grew with every swing of her sword.

Once she had brought the last man down to her knees she cleaved his head from his shoulders in a fit of rage. Blood dripped from her hair and limbs and cooled in the winter air. Godric slowly approached the warrior, pleased by her animalistic display of skill.

Anaya sheathed her sword and crossed her shaking arms in front of her as she breathed heavily from exhaustion. She then remembered her sister and brother and the rest of the villagers in the cart. Wasting no time, she headed over to their cage and set about freeing them.

_"Anaya,"_ Gallia breathed in relief as she clutched their brother protectively to her. _"I never thought I'd see you again, dearest sister."_

_"Nor I,"_ Anaya replied with a smile as she helped some of the villagers from the wagon. _"Are you or Caio hurt?"_

_"No, thank the gods,"_ she said, jumping down to the ground. _"Father, is he?-" _Gallia squeaked out, she could barely ask the question. Anaya's eyes flickered to the ground as she shook her head. It was all Gallia needed to see to confirm what she already thought she knew.

_"He fought to the very last," _Anaya told her. Gallia nodded as she helped Cioa jump from the cart to the ground. It was somewhat of a comfort to know that their father had died with honor.

Anaya bid each one of the villagers to make for home as she sliced the bindings from their hands. Terrified and confused, they promptly obeyed her. Gallia, however, stayed behind. She looked over to Godric and immediately recognized him from her wedding. Unsure of what to say to the stranger her sister seemed so attached to, she just stared at him curiously.

Anaya left Gallia's side and went to unharness the horses from the cart. _"You should take these horses back to the village. They are very valuable."_

_"You're words suggest that I will be taking them alone, why? Do you plan on leaving us_?" She asked, confused as to why her sister would even think of abandoning her family.

_"I must, Gallia," _She answered, looking over to Godric who regarded her with a serious nod. She had given him her word that she would allow him to turn her after she had taken her vengeance. Now that she had rescued Gallia, she had to honor her promise.

_"Does this have something to do with him?" _Her sister asked, pointing to Godric who remained completely did not answer, validating Gallia's guess. _"You cannot go with him! He is a runaway slave, Anaya. Owen told me so when he noticed the brand on his back. People are bound to be looking for him."_

It took everything in Godric's power not to bare his teeth at her insult. Still, he stayed silent, knowing that this was Anaya's argument to settle.

_"I already know this, Gallia. He told me himself. I am going with him regardless," _she said completely unbending. Turning back to the horses, she continued to strip them of their bridals.

As she slipped one of the leather straps out of the many buckles, she heard a piercing scream from Gallia. Her heart froze in her chest at the sound. Before she could turn to see what was the matter, she felt a searing pain travel through her lower back and into her stomach. Crumpling under the excruciating pain, Anaya grabbed at her abdomen and found that the cold steel of a blade had pierced it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a wounded soldier fall to the ground dead, his hand falling from the handle of the sword that had found a home in her body. He must have used all of his remaining strength to lung up from his place on the ground and stab her.

Godric immediately speed to her side, but it was too late- the damage had already been done.

_"Anaya!" _Gallia screamed, running over to her.

Godric caught the wounded warrior in his arms and cradled her to him. _"I must turn you, little one, before you die," _he told her, pressing his cold lips to her forehead in a comforting gesture.

_"What? What do you mean?" _Gallia asked in panicked confusion.

_"I'm going to give your sister a new life," _he said, hastily removing the sword from Anaya's back and gently lowering her to the ground.

_"That is impossible, the wound is fatal! There is nothing we can do for her now." _She cried, standing by helpless to do anything.

_"It does not matter," _he muttered callously as he smoothed Anaya's hair away from her neck. He could feel her pulse slowing. Without warning he then released his fangs.

Gallia jumped at the sight, her hands flying to her mouth in utter shock._ "What are you?" _she whispered in horror, tripping over the dead soldiers as she tried to back away from him.

_"I am a bringer of death, capable of bestowing immortality on your kind," _he explained._ "This is how I will save Anaya." _

_"My sister is a warrior! I will not have you defiling her soul- let her die with honor!" _Gallia cried angrily, fearful for what this creature was going to do to her sister. _"Anaya, listen to me. I know you, I know your heart, tell him what you want, please. You don't have to live in darkness with him. Tell him you want to die a warrior like your tribesmen, like father."_

Anaya opened her mouth as if she were about to speak but immediately began choking. Thick blood pooled up from her throat and into her mouth, it flowed heavily down her chin. She was drowning in her own blood and her body shivered in shock. Godric knew that if he didn't do something soon she would indeed die. Without a second thought, he reared back his head and bit down on her neck.

_"What are you doing?" _Gallia cried. She immediately went to pull her sister away from him but Godric glared up and savagely hissed at her, his sharp fangs dripping blood. Gallia fell backwards in horror. _"Monster!" _She yelled, but Godric ignored her insult and returned his attention to Anaya.

Once she was drained near death, he bit into the flesh of his wrist until blood began to pour from the wound.

_"Open your mouth," _he commanded Anaya, pressing his cold wrist against her frozen lips and trying to coax her into drinking. Her body was like ice stroked her matted hair away from her sickly face as he held his bleeding wrist against her mouth. _"Thabharfainn fuil mo chroí duit (I give you the blood of my heart)," _he whispered to her.

Once his vampire blood seeped onto Anaya's tongue, her stiff muscles regained some movement and her mouth closed weakly over his flesh. She began to lick at his wound- it was not clear whether or not this was by her own volition or if the power of his blood compelled her to drink. However, her body immediately began to regain its former warmth as she drank from him. The more she drank, the more vigorous her feeding became. The sensation of her life and strength rushing back to her became instantly addicting. Once Godric felt that she had enough, he pulled her mouth from his vein and held her tightly against his chest with his steel grip. She fought to latch onto his wound again but Godric was far stronger than her, even with the loss of blood he had sustained. Anaya's movements then stopped altogether as she passed out in his arms. The blood had begun to work on her.

_"You had no right to do that to her!" _Gallia cried angrily. Her brother was clinging silently to her leg in fear.

_"She promised herself to me, human!" _Godric snapped. A spark of viciousness flashed in his eyes causing Gallia to stiffen and clutch her little brother closer to her. The vampire bared his fangs territorially as he leaned over Anaya's body. He was clearly claiming her as his own. "_Besides, even if she could have spoken, her answer may have been yes. I suppose, we will never know," _he added mockingly as he scooped Anaya's limp body up in his arms.

_"Where are you going with my sister?" _Gallia demanded, running up to him.

_"You have your charge," Godric_ said, nodding over to the small boy, _"Let me take care of mine."_

Gallia opened her mouth to protest but Godric had already run off into the woods with Anaya faster than she could register. She called out to him in vain, yelling at the empty trees. Gallia did not know if she would ever see her sister again or if she was even still alive. One thing she did know was that this creature had damned Anaya to eternal darkness- either in hell or on this earth.

**AN: **Thank you everyone for reading reviewing and subscribing :D PLEASE continue to REVIEW! I love to hear from you guys and I'm glad to be back in the TrueBlood section.

**Sneak Peek for Chapter 9:**

Godric lowered her into the hole he dug her and arranged her sleeping form. Once he crossed her arms, he placed a warm kiss on her lips.

_"Sleep and be reborn, Anaya. I give you to the darkness now," _he said, pushing the dirt over her. In three days time she would reawaken a vampire- his child. There would be much to teach her.


End file.
